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efficient and consistent. In private practice, AI allows practitioners to expand their reach while maintaining high-quality care. AI-enabled patient portals, automated reminders, and home-based monitoring tools are also improving compliance—one of the biggest hurdles in long-term myopia control. CHALLENGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES As with any technological advancement, the use of AI in myopia management comes with its own set of concerns. Data privacy, algorithm transparency, and clinical validation are all critical to ensure ethical use. Importantly, AI should always support, not replace, clinical judgment. Practitioners must also stay informed and trained. Using AI effectively requires understanding how it works, what it can (and can’t) do, and how to communicate its role to concerned parents. Investment in AI should be matched by investment in professional development to ensure that technology adoption is meaningful rather than superficial. AI will not solve the myopia crisis on its own. But it equips us with sharper tools, deeper insights, and a more scalable approach to prevention and control. For optometrists, embracing AI doesn’t mean surrendering clinical skill; it means enhancing it. As AI continues to evolve, its integration into everyday clinical workflows will only deepen. Emerging systems are beginning to combine genetic profiling, environmental mapping, and long-term biometric tracking to offer highly accurate, child-specific risk assessments. This level of precision empowers practitioners to intervene earlier and more effectively than ever before. Moreover, as costs decrease and accessibility grows, even PREDICTING PROGRESSION, NOT JUST MONITORING IT One of AI’s most valuable contributions to myopia management is its ability to predict how a child’s myopia will progress over time. Traditional monitoring requires multiple visits and depends heavily on practitioner interpretation. AI, however, can process vast datasets, including age, genetics, lifestyle factors, and biometric trends, to provide predictive models with remarkable accuracy. For instance, platforms like Myopia Master and Treehouse Eyes are leveraging AI algorithms to help optometrists forecast future axial elongation and refractive error changes. This allows practitioners to move from reactive treatment to proactive management. smaller practices will be able to adopt AI tools, levelling the playing field across urban and rural settings. Ultimately, AI’s greatest contribution may be its ability to unify data, insight, and action—helping the eye care community collectively slow the global rise of myopia. The future of myopia care is intelligent, individualised, and increasingly data-driven. And with AI by our side, we’re better prepared to slow down this growing epidemic. 32 VISION PLUS INDIA EDITION